Lobaton's heading to DL; Gimenez called up

BOSTON -- Jose Lobaton's sore right shoulder will land him on the disabled list Sunday.

After Saturday afternoon's 13-5 loss to the Red Sox, the Rays announced that Lobaton was headed for the DL and that Chris Gimenez would be selected from Triple-A Durham.

Lobaton came up with a sore shoulder after attempting to throw out Tigers catcher Alex Avila during Thursday's 7-2 loss.

Gimenez is expected to be with the team before Sunday's game, and he will likely get the start at catcher.

Davis getting comfortable in new role this year

BOSTON -- Wade Davis looks as though he's getting comfortable in the bullpen. On Friday, he threw a season-high three innings against the Red Sox, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out three.

"It's been going good," Davis said. "Every day I'm starting to learn new things to get my mind ready quicker and my body loose. Every time the phone rings, you almost have to have your mind right as soon as it goes off. Every day is getting a little easier."

Despite having 65 Major League starts under his belt, Davis became the odd man out in his bid to earn a spot in the Rays' starting rotation this season. So he has been adapting to his new surroundings, which includes embracing the culture in the bullpen.

"It's pretty cool. It's more relaxed than you think," Davis said. "At the same time, we have good conversations. It's great people down there, and everybody's ready to go, too. So it's a pretty cool experience."

Davis noted that the mood of the bullpen depends on how the game is going at the time.

Among the many aspects of making the transition from starter to reliever has been getting used to the idea that he could be in the game on any given day.

"I'm definitely getting used to that," Davis said. "I'm definitely on the right approach to it. The body will probably take a lot longer. Once I start getting into the games more often, start doing that, I think it will be a little bit easier.

"That's been the biggest thing, is mentally every day waking up, I've got to be ready to go. Even though you might not, but you're still in the game mentally. I feel like I'm playing the game every day, which is different than the starting. They've got you one day then four days of nothing."

Davis added that getting used to the idea that he might pitch every day remains the hardest part.

"Because I've been having those four days off in between for 12 years since high school, so it's just a little bit of an adjustment getting to the ballpark, have to be ready to pitch today," Davis said.

Manager Joe Maddon complimented Davis for being all in since they told him he was headed to the bullpen.

"Once we told him everything we were thinking, by the time we left that room, I felt like he was all in regarding it," Maddon said. "To me, he was kind of excited about it. He gets it -- the fact that it makes us better right now. He also knows he'll be a starter in the future, so I think he's kind of interested in seeing how he can do there -- and I think he can do really well."

De La Rosa recalled, adds depth to bullpen

De La Rosa, 29, appeared in four games for Durham and was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA. He last pitched Wednesday against Charlotte and allowed one run while walking two and striking out two in 1 1/3 innings.

De La Rosa got the news of his promotion after Friday night's game at Gwinnett.

"I've been feeling good, working the kinks out and making an adjustment to Triple-A from playing in big league Spring Training," De La Rosa said. "Just adjusting to hitters and not trying to do too much. Trying to pitch above yourself is just kind of a problem for me."

De La Rosa had two stints with the Rays in 2011, compiling a 9.82 ERA in seven relief appearances.

"The big thing about him is also he adds length," said manager Joe Maddon when asked how De La Rosa would be used. "He can pitch 40 to 60 pitches if necessary. That was important for us today. ... We needed to have some length, and he provides that also."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.